Sorng ah-tit (2 weeks)

Exactly two weeks from today I and twenty-one others will be on our way to Bangkok!! Well, actually we'll be on the second leg of our journey, from Chicago to South Korea, and then on to Bangkok. I just got back from the health department for the last of my immunizations (this one was for typhoid and my arm is extremely sore). My nerves are starting to kick in a bit, especially when I read over the packet of information the health department gave me with precautions like:

Don't brush your teeth with the tap water.
Don't have ice cubes in your drink.
Don't eat anything unless you boil it, cook it, or peel it. (not even fruit!)

I'm sure that I will be eating only safe foods and I know God will keep us all safe. But I also know I'm going to want some ice cubes in that 100-degree heat!

Starting to Pack

Well, the suitcase is out and I'm starting to sort through the various items I've been collecting over the past few months. . . travel-size hand sanitizer, travel-size Tide detergent, travel-size baby powder. . . you get the picture. I'm deciding what things I'll need in my carry-on (in my case, even a toothbrush is a must, since I'll be on a plane for almost 24 hours) and what things I'm not allowed to have in my carry-on (as far as liquid goes, I can only have a quart-size plastic baggie with 3 oz. containers inside, I think).













Anyway, I walked into my bedroom to grab my backpack which will serve as my carry-on bag, and I nearly screamed. There, sitting right on top of my backpack. . . well, I guess you could call it sitting, I'm not really sure. . . was some kind of a lizard! I panicked and ran out of the room, naturally. Then I willed myself to go back in, and after various failed attempts to capture the creature, I watched in horror as he (or she) slithered away. Not an experience I want to relive, but it will probably happen again, since I have no idea where the lizard went. Oh, well. Now it's back to my packing--it's incredibly exciting to think that in just a couple weeks, my suitcase will be all packed up and ready to go!

One Month to Go...

Today marks one month until I depart for Thailand on a missions trip with 22 others from around Michigan. It will be my very first overseas missions trip, and hopefully the first of many! Today was also our very last team meeting and we practiced dramas (one in which I portray a tree!) and our testimonies, as well as a step routine we hope to perform for the Thai people. Cheryl and I also had some tasty pad thai. . . yum!